Part 1 The Snowflake
by Tie-grr
Summary: The Snowflake is the first part of a series of fics. Severus/Tonks. There is a slightly bigger explanation inside. Enjoy. Please R
1. The Lake

_This is the first ever Sev/Tonks fic that I have written so please be nice._

_It is the first in a series of fics which shall all end with one set in the present. It will all be explained at the end. It may take me a while so give me time._

_Enjoy :)_

_Xx_

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January 8 1989

A thick blanket of snow covered Hogwarts school and all it's grounds. The cold winds that accompanied the most recent fall of snowflakes did not stop the students from bundling up and going out to play in the vast white like children half their age. It was time for the students to return from their Christmas holidays and the grounds were ripe with snowball fights. Teachers had been sent out to supervise the students, it was certainly needed when snowballs mixed with magic.

Three sixth year girls strolled along the edge of the black lake, giggling happily as they shared tales of their activities during the break. They had their black and yellow striped scarves drawn tight around their faces and necks, matching thick black robes also helping to keep them warm. Hufflepuffs. One girl stood out from the other two, despite their identical outfits. Nymphadora, don't call me Nymphadora, Tonks. With her vivid, bubblegum pink hair. she was the loudest out of the three but also the clumsiest, probably the clumsiest girl in the entire year. She had already tripped several times over rocks of varying sizes and even over her own feet, she had a shockingly colourful vocabulary. To avoid too many of these accidents, her best friends would often walk either side of her when they were outside, ever since she broke her wrist in second year. Amelia Brown and Rachel Sherlock, the three had been best friends since their first day of first year and that showed no signs of changing.

The trio stopped as two seventh year boys walked past them. One winked at Amelia, the other at Rachel which sent the girls in a squealing frenzy as soon as the boys had moved on. Tonks grinned as she stepped back so they could talk. He loved seeing his friends so excited, even if it was over a boy just winking at them. Not one of them ever got jealous either so that helped strengthen their friendship. Her eyes widened with shock and horror when she realised that there was no ground beneath her feet, She was falling into the lake! Letting out an ear piercing scream, she scrambled to find something to grip onto as she sunk into the murky depths but to no avail. She merely ended up hitting her head and knocking herself out on the way down. Amelia and Rachel lunged forwards as they desperately tried to grasp onto their friend before she completely vanished beneath the surface of the ice cold lake but they were too late, she was gone from sight.

"Get a teacher!" Amelia cried as she knelt at the edge, reluctant to dip her bare hand into the freezing water, even to try and save her best friend. Rachel nodded and sped off, adrenaline fueling her sudden burst of speed. It also helped that she was the fastest runner in the year. She had absolutely no idea where the nearest teacher was, perhaps she would get lucky. Sure enough, within a short while, she collided with the back of the youngest teacher currently on staff. Severus Snape. Rachel let out a small grunt as her entire body crashed into him, sending the tall Potions Master stumbling forwards a few steps.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Severus snarled angrily once he had turned to face the panting girl, shooting her a cold glare which had become his signature. He had a reputation cruel and hateful to students and adults alike, especially if the students weren't in his own house. Slytherin. A small frown appeared on his face when he noticed how panicked she looked. "What is it?" His voice was now softer. He knew fear when he saw it.

Rachel struggled to catch her breath, desperately trying to get a lungful of air so she could tell him what had happened. "Tonks.." She gasped, "Fell into.. The lake." She managed, turning and taking off again before she had even finished speaking. Severus' eyes widened with shock and he immediately ran after the girl at full speed. by the time Rachel had returned to the point where Tonks had fallen in Severus had caught up and was right on her heels. His coal black eyes scanned the water in the hope that he would see her but to no avail. He wasted no time in stripping his thick black cloak and matching scarf, also stripping his black overcoat which left him in just a white shirt. The discarded items would just weigh him down once he was underwater. All thoughts of using his wand left him as primal instinct to save the girl kicked in. Taking a deep breath, he dove in.

The water was absolutely freezing and the shock of it enveloping his entire body forced most of the air out of his lungs. He tried to open his eyes but it took several attempts due to the stinging of the cold. Once he had managed to keep his eyes open, he used his hands to push against the water and spin himself around a full 360 degrees to search for her. Second after terrifying secong beat past until he finally spotted her several feet beneath him. She was floating amongst some plants that seemed to be gripping onto her ankles and holding her in a watery prison. It scared him to see that her skin was blue and she wasn't moving of her own accord. Was he too late? He turned his body and started swimming down towards her, drawing level within a few more seconds. Despite the cold water all around them, she felt like ice when he cupped her cheeks with both hands. He needed to get air into her so, knowing the rules didn't apply in this situation, parted her lips and covered her mouth with his.

It took a moment before the air that Severus had so desperately tried to circulate around her body had the desired effect. She started to come around, her eyes opening now. She pulled away from the figure who had given her the air she needed to survive, not knowing what was going on. The coldness of the icy water stung her at first, but she soon familiarised herself with the biting coldness, forcing her eyes to stay open. She didn't know if her unconsciousness had forced her to imagine things. Severus Snape, saving her? It was part of his duties she thought. She gave no more thought. She needed to work fast. She started to quickly pull at the plants that held her captive in the nurky water, wanting to ensure she never surfaced again. Time was running out. It truly was a race against time, and Tonks wasn't one for losing. She was considerably weaker than before when she had first attempted to free herself, but she still pulled with everything she had, needing to free herself soon.

Severus pulled back once he felt her moving, relief flooding through his body. The relief was short lived as he realised that they were both rapidly losing precious air and she was still very much stuck. He gripped her shoulders to try and get her to concentrate on him and not her underwater captors. She immediately stopped her fruitless tugging and looked to his face. He made a besture to tell her he was going down before he forced himself lower down into the depths of the lake. He was now level with her ankles and the plant that gripped her tight. Taking a firm grip with both hands, he tugged sharply and the thin leafy string snapped. One down, one to go. Filled with a new hope, he quickly released her other foot and pushed her up. It took a moment but Tonks soon realised that she was free and used what litte energy she had left to swim to the surface, Severus following close behind.

The moment Tonks broke through the once calm surface of the lake, she was gasping for air. She took in huge lungfuls of oxygen which seemed to sting as she did so, but she tried to ignore it. She couldn't feel anything. The coldness of the water had numbed her body. Severus surfaced nearly a metre away, taking in a big gasp of air in an attempt to stop the pain in his lungs. The cold air burned his throat as he breathed it in casing him to cough at the feeling. Each breath that he took felt like his lungs were being stabbed. Tonks coughed up all the water she had swallowed as Severus located her and wrapped his arm around her middle. It burned her throat as it made it's way up, but it seemed to go unnoticed by her.

Her whole body ached and she had no energy to help Severus as he slowly dragged her to the shore. He could feel his energy ebbing away with every small movement he made. He doubted he would even be able to make it to land. Each time his head bobbed above the surface he could see the crowd that had gathered, a very worried Dumbledore standing at the front. After several long and painful seconds he finally made it to the edge of the lake. The crowd split and he hauled a now unconscious Tonks onto the edge. She was whisked away by Madam Pomfrey. He slowly started to sink into the lake once she was safe, he no longer had the energy to keep himself afloat. Suddenly he was flying out of the water and the sensation of the bitter cold wind beating his frozen body made him painfully awake. He landed on the ground with a gentle thud and a loud groan. Dumbledore stood over him.

"You've done well Severus. The girl is safe." The Headmaster smiled warmly before all went black.

_I hope you enjoyed! Certainly more to come, I know there isn't much right now. Give me time._


	2. The Hospital Wing

_Here we go, chapter 2. A long time writing and turned out to be pitifully short.. _

_Oh well, hope you enjoy. :)_

_Please, Review? I've hardly gotten any :( _

_I need to know if should continue or not.._

_Xx_

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January 8 1989

When Severus finally awoke his entire body felt heavy and weighed down. He was vaguely aware that his body was now dry and warm but most of his attention was on trying to sit up. The blankets that covered him felt like they weighed three tonnes but he did force himself up. Resting on his elbows, his weak arms trembling at the sudden weight being placed on them, he looked at his surroundings. He was in the hospital wing. Candles lit up the long room so he had clearly been out all evening. He noticed Tonks was sleeping in the bed beside his. She had more colour in her cheeks and the violent shaking that had wracked her young body since she was taken from the water had lessened to a slight shiver ever few minutes or so. His eyes rested on her for quite some time as he thought about what he had done. He had saved her life. She was living and breathing, all because of him. A ghost of a smile passed across his lips.

"She was very lucky." Madam Pomfrey suddenly making her presence known caused Severus to jump and his arms give way beneath him, he flopped back down onto the bed. The matron's voice came from the foot of his bed, she had been watching him. How the hell had he not noticed her? His coal black eyes fell on the woman who smailed warmly and helped him to sit up again. "A few more minutes and she would have been beyond rescue of any kind. You're a hero." She fluffed up his pillows and then placed them behind his back.

"I'm not a hero so don't say it." Severus growled, surprised by just how hoarse his voice sounded. His throat hurt as well. He must have swallowed some of the water in the lake. He gently rubbed his throat as, once again, his eyes came to rest on the student just a few feet away. Madam Pomfrey watched how the young professor observed his student.

"She will be fine with time. Just let her sleep it off right now. She will have to be monitored though, you too. Just in case either of you managed to catch anything. The water in that lake isn't very hygienic. It would be best if the two of you stayed in the same place for a few days. Here is ideal. As she apoke she made her way around the wing, tidying beds and shelves or cleaning up some dirt with a flick of her wand.

"Poppy, I can't stay here for a few days. Classes start up again tomorrow, I can't miss them. Also, I do not wish to spend tomorrow evening sitting in a hospital bed listening to students whine about muggle sniffles every ten bloody minutes." He complained and folded his arms across his chest which gave him the look of a sulking child. It was only then he noticed he was no longer wearing his usual black clothes that he had been wearing when he went into the lake. He was wearing the grey pyjamas he wore every night. "Who undressed me?!"

Poppy couldn't help but laugh at the Potions Master's exclaimation, turning to face him with a bottle in her hand. "I did." She teased with a small wink. Severus' look of horror caused her to burst into another bout of laughter. She turned her back to him again and returned to sorting the various bottles on a set of shelves. "Oh do relax Severus, don't act like such a child. Albus took care of you, I have only been watching over you for the last couple of hours. And, in response to your complaint, you may return to your quarters. But the girl goes with you. No arguing, Severus!"

Severus had opened his mouth to protest and argue his point until he went blue in the face but closed it again when she snapped her final sentence. A student staying in his quarters? A girl nonetheless.. And a Hufflepuff! He grumbled to himself as he sank back into the pillows behind him. The silence was broken by a weak voice. "I don't want to stay with Professor Snape.." Tonks croaked from her bed without opening her eyes. Madam Pomfrey rushed over to check on her, she was OK.

"I'm sorry Nymphadora but you have no choice," Tonks grimaced at the use of her full name. "Professor Snape can take care of you from his quarters, he is the one who shall be making your potions after all. It is only for a few days, once I am convinced you are both fully OK, you can part ways." Poppy explained as she helped Tonks to sit like she had done with Severus just a few minutes ago. "Now, get along." She warned before hurrying off.

The professor looked to his student and the student to her professor as they sat, alone and in silence. This was going to be the longest few days of their lives, they both could tell. Severus was the first to look away. He let out a small sigh as he accepted he could not change Poppy's mind. That didn't mean he was going to be quiet about it, oh no. He would make his complaints heard until her ears bled. He stared down at his hands which rested in his lap. "Alright, we cannot change our situation. The sooner this is all over, the better. I have one very simple request, leave me alone unless it cannot be avoided."

Tonks nodded, it was a very reasonable request from a normally unreasonable man. She settled back into her pillows and smiled, it felt like pure heaven. The fluffy pillows entirely enveloped her slender body and she loved it. So warm and soft, she could easily fall asleep like this and never wake up. "Oh Merlin.. I hope your sofa is as comfortable as this is, Sir." She mumbled with her eyes closed. Severus scoffed.

"Comfortable? It's a sofa, a hard leather one at that. Comfortable is that last thing it shall ever be even if it was recycled by muggles. But it is none of your concern as I shall be sleeping there. As much as I dislike our current predicament, I still consider myself a gentleman so you shall have my bed." He said without even looking at her. If he had, he would have seen the look of surprise and joy on her face. She was going to be spending up to a week in the bed of none other than her 3 year long crush, Severus Snape. _Brilliant!_

_Hope you enjoyed chapter 2. Again, not much there. But hopefully I shall have more up soon. We'll see_

_Xx_


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